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Ceadeus Ecology
In-Game Info Legendary Elder Dragons known as both 'shining giants of the depths' and 'great sea dragons'. Not confirmed to exist until recently. The Moga quakes were due to a Ceadeus butting its abnormally long horns into the earth. Taxonomy Order:Unknown- Suborder:Depth Dragon- Family:Ceadeus. The name Ceadeus may be derived from Cetacea, the order of the animal kingdom that includes whales. This can be seen as a reference to Ceadeus' whale-like appearance. Ceadeus can also be taken as Seadeus, or Sea God. Its head looks relatively similar to the long-extinct dunkleosteus. It may also refer to Cetus, a sea monster from Greek mythology. It can also come from the Latin word caelem, meaning heaven, and deus, meaning god, thus being a heaven god. Or from the Latin word caedes, meaning bloodbath. Or, quite possibly, it was chosen to mean some, or all of these things. Habitat range It is speculated that due to the Ceadeus' age and its rarity that these creatures generally live in deep caverns or fissures. Its size would vastly limit its ability to travel along rivers or in shallow waters. Ceadeus is the only large monster in the series that is fully aquatic, unlike Lagiacrus and other Leviathans, it has no way of exiting the water and spends its entire life in the depths of the ocean. Ecological Niche Although Ceadeus has never been known to interact with other species save for select humans and the Shakalakas, Cha-Cha and Kayamba, there appears to be at least one other species that could inhabit the same area with the Ceadeus (aside from its variant, which may, in fact, be simply an older specimen) the Abyssal Lagiacrus. Judging by their jaws Ceadeus are carnivorous and feed in the deep ocean depths where favored prey may thrive. It probably prefers to stay away from the Abyssal Lagiacrus, however, due to its extremely powerful Thunder-based attacks, which could possibly kill a juvenile Ceadeus. It is unknown what problems may arise if a Ceadeus were to encounter its Goldbeard variant. Biological Adaptations The Ceadeus seems to have adapted to its environment remarkably well. Its strong tail and fins enable it to travel very rapidly for its size when called for. Additionally, the Luminescent Organs located in the Ceadeus' body could possibly be used to attract prey or ward off threats. As a side note, the light emitted from the organs as the Ceadeus prepares for a water blast greatly resembles a god of possible Viking or Norse origin, as the horns resemble the commonly assumed (though disproven) trademark helms of Norse mythology. Note also that when the hunter first attacks the Ceadeus, it appears not to notice. This may be due to its hide being incredibly tough, it seems to only take action when sufficiently damaged. The light created by Ceadeus is from many Bioluminecent bacteria. The secret to how Ceadeus stays underwater so long is in its beard. Inside, there is a unique species of algae that feed from the carbon dioxide made by Ceadeus and in return give the Ceadeus a supply of oxygen. Using this process Ceadeus can grow enough algae to last certain amount of time under water. The Ceadeus' horns constantly grow, and thus they are forced to scrape them across rough, jagged surfaces to file them down to mangable size over time. The Ceadeus that was terrorizing Moga may have been an adolescent going through a spur of growth and, unable to find a suitable surface to file, attempted to use the ocean floor and smooth cavern walls in a desperate attempt to shorten its quickly growing horn. Much is unknown about the Ceadeus' sexual and territorial behavior; sightings have been rare, let alone decent studies. It is most likely that their territories and traveling areas are so big, that they will most likely spend years or even decades alone without seeing another Ceadeus. The Goldbeard Ceadeus is most likely an older Ceadeus which failed to keep the growth of his horns in check. It is interesting to note that both horns have grown over its eyes, leaving it blind. It is still able to coördinate very well, so it possibly caries an extra organ to make up for its loss of sight. Maybe it carries an organ similar to some sharks; it uses weak electric currents in the ocean to track down prey. It is also possible that it uses sonar like dolphins. Whatever it is, the eyes of the Ceadeus seem to be vestigial, and while they still have some function, they are not necessary for survival. Behavior The Ceadeus is known to be a rather peaceful creature until provoked. They do not bother humankind unless they feel threatened. The ruins of the Moga Island Civilization which the Ceadeus lives in seems to be the very place where the Ceadeus was born hundreds of years ago, hinting that young Ceadeus may be territorial. It is likely that young Ceadeus will invade any kind of underwater caves for protection if needed, and found the Moga Civilization to be an adequate habitat. Interestingly, there are also ruins on land on the island, which are in perfect position to be very close to the Underwater Ruins. The Moga Quakes that had recently restarted after many successful decades were likely caused because the Ceadeus's horn needed to be filed down, because the stress caused by the new civilization caused the horns to grow, thus causing the earthquakes. Category:Monster Ecology